Football Players' Heartfelt Gesture Becomes Joe Paterno Documentary
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - Despite the controversy that now surrounds the late Joe Paterno, many Penn State fans and football players will remember him for his sports legacy and the positive impact he left on his players.
And that legacy is the focus of a new documentary about the former Penn State football coach.
Shortly before Paterno's death, a group of former players and film makers came together to interview 70 former players talking about what their coach meant to them.
The film was initially mean to be a birthday gift for their beloved coach, but Paterno died just three days after they began editing the interviews.
Now, the hour-long film has been re-envisioned as documentary about the positive impact Paterno made.
The film, called "The Joe We Know," was directed by Tom Dolchez, a former player. He features many powerful stories in the film, as well as his reverence for Paterno.
"The film is about the relationships Joe had with his players and how import he was in our lives," Dolchez said.
The film first started coming together after the football players learned that Paterno had been fired. The players got together in the hopes of lifting Paterno's spirit during the difficult time, including his fight against cancer.
While Paterno never saw the film, his wife Sue has, and the money made from the showings will be donated to the Sue and Joe Paterno Library.
"This is the Joe that fans know too," Dolchez said. "It reminds people of who this man was and the good he did."
- Listen to Dolchez talk about the film with Larry & John on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA:
Tom Dolenz
For more information on the film and where you can see it, visit http://www.grandexperiment.org/.
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